THE TEMPLE BIRDS OF JAVA

By Paul Irven

The Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora), “temple bird” or “rice bird” as they are sometimes called, is naturally found on the islands of Java, Bali, Sumatra and Borneo. Its range also covers Thailand, Taiwan, Myanmar, St. Helena and the Philippines where they frequent areas of open country such as lowland grasslands, open woodlands with grass or cultivated land such as rice, maize and cane fields. In this article, Paul Irven discusses the care and keeping of these exotic finches.

Outside of the breeding season, flocks of java sparrows gather together in search of food, gathering in cultivated rice fields. They feed on the ground or in growing vegetation on grass seeds, fruit, rice, maize, and small insects.

Attempts to introduce the species to several countries have occurred with varying levels of success. Java sparrows have now been introduced to Sri Lanka and parts of America. They are also well-established on the Hawaiian Islands and have been introduced into Puerto Rico in the Caribbean where they are considered an invasive species. Sightings of this species across the Caribbean stretch as far as Jamaica. Java sparrows have also been introduced to Christmas Island off the coast of Western Australia.

In parts of Asia, the Java sparrow has been commonly hand-reared by their keepers, so they become very tame and attached to their human carers. These birds are often kept in small cages but let out for exercise inside a house. For centuries the Java sparrow has been a popular cage bird in Asia, and from the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s the Java sparrow was the most popular cage bird in America, until its import was banned, due to the concerns of escaped birds causing crop destruction. Today it remains illegal to possess Java sparrows in California because of a perceived threat to agriculture, yet rice-dependent Asian countries like China, Taiwan and Japan have not regulated the bird at all which seems rather odd.

Originally, the Java sparrow was a well-established species in the wild. They are a highly social species that had an expanding population in their native lands. However, due to persecution, Java sparrows were regarded as an agricultural pest species after they destroyed the paddy rice fields. Their scientific name translates to “eater of rice in paddy fields”. Over-collecting for the pet trade has also accelerated population declines. In the wild, they often flock together with other finches such as the "spice bird" or nutmeg finch (Lonchura punctulata).

The current IUCN conservation status of the Java sparrow is "Endangered" and they are listed under CITES Appendix 2, with less than 10,000 birds left in the wild. As a result, the species is now widely kept in zoos where efforts to maintain genetically viable flocks of their natural colour are important. It is particularly difficult to find naturally coloured birds these days, when so many colour mutations have been bred into the captive population for several generations. Where possible, breeders now make every effort to only breed from those of the natural “wild” colouration, swiftly removing the unnatural colour morph mutations. Of course, there are large numbers that are also still kept and bred privately in cages and aviaries. I know of multiple private keepers who have kept large breeding colonies of grey Java sparrows successfully, but generally, the larger flocks are held in zoos and bird gardens.

The natural wild colour of Java sparrows is a smart, slate grey upper body with a black head and white cheek patch. The lower chest and underbody are a pale pink, with pink legs and a red bill. The sexes are visually alike but in breeding condition, the males develop a more swollen and redder bill and will sing with a bubbling call. The males will stretch themselves up when doing this and sometimes both birds of a bonded pair will rub their bills together before mating. Occasionally some birds have white under the beak as well, and this may or may not be linked to the possible genetic presence of underlying colour mutations, of which there are several variations in captivity ranging from pied to cream, opal, fawn, pastel, agate, white, and silver.

Aviaries

Without any doubt, the best way to keep Java sparrows (and indeed Timor sparrows) is in an aviary on a colony basis. This can be achieved slowly by having one or two pairs and growing the colony gradually or by housing several birds, ideally aged between 1 to 4 years old, together which will then allow for natural pair selection. Generally, pairs do naturally squabble with each other, but it is never serious, it is usually just some vocalisations of discontent and minor chasing. Java sparrows are quite hardy and do not particularly require heat however their aviary should provide a dry and draught-proof shelter away from strong winds and frosts at night. A partly covered roof is also desirable and aviaries should always have a double access door for safety. There should be more nest boxes than pairs of birds available and these should be positioned fairly high up but still allowing for a gap between the roof and the tops of the boxes as they tend to like sitting on top of the boxes to roost. Interestingly Java sparrows also like sitting near or under dove`s wings or bodies for warmth presumably at night. The boxes should not be positioned too close to each other to avoid pairs fighting too much over territory. The size of the aviary will dictate the numbers that can potentially be kept, whilst using common sense to avoid overcrowding and reduce any welfare issues arising. Java sparrows are quite long-lived compared to many smaller finches, living up to ten years.

Birds of a feather

Pairs of Java sparrows will breed in a cage or aviary, and I have kept and bred them in both. However, the consensus is to keep them best in a flock within an aviary. They are social birds that seem to like the visual and auditory stimulus of others in a group to stimulate breeding and provide social enrichment. It is said that only the most dominant pairs in a colony will breed and generally a mated pair will establish a good bond but not always remain with the same partner. Some pairs will be quite prolific producing several successive broods of chicks. Initially, the male will carry a piece of plant material in his beak as an offering to his potential partner whilst performing the courtship display, this takes the form of a bobbing up and down display and a bubbling song. Though some males may not sing during the courtship display. Receptive females bow and occasionally hop a few times before soliciting copulation with a crouched posture and quivering tail. Copulation usually takes place on a branch often followed by a little “beak fencing” after mating takes place.

Java sparrows often prefer the standard “budgie nest box” to raise their chicks in, if you leave the wooden concave in the box it will help to prevent the eggs from rolling out of place. This type of nest box also provides plenty of room if the brood is large. The nest itself is constructed from a wide variety of plant materials and can include many other items, almost anything available will be used. Both sexes will incubate the eggs which usually number between 4 and 6, but occasionally there may be as many as eight eggs, these are oval and white in colour, and fairly small for a large finch. Both birds take turns incubating the eggs by day but only the female will incubate during the night, and the incubation period is typically 14 days, though it can be as short as 13 days or perhaps slightly longer than 14 days. The chicks are quite small initially. During this time plenty of green food, egg food and soaked seeds should be offered, that said Java sparrows can rear the chicks on a much blander diet of just seed, although this may result in less rearing success. Leg rings, if required, should be applied at around six days of age and they should be of the correct size for the species. The chicks should fledge the nest between 21 to 30 days of age and will be weaned onto hard seed by the age of 50 days, they will return to the nest box at night to roost until they are weaned. The young bird`s first moult is normally around the age of three months old. Sometimes older chicks from a pair will help to feed a second younger brood in a related group. If colony breeding, keep an eye out for overly-aggressive individuals who may need to be removed from the breeding enclosure to avoid disruption of the other pairs. Breeding pairs should be limited to only three broods per year and it is best to avoid any breeding during the winter months. Removing or covering the nest boxes may be required as long as good shelter from the weather is also provided. I used to either remove the boxes, or fix a small piece of wood over the entrance hole, and by doing this the birds can still sit on top of the box at night if they wish.

In the wild, Java sparrows usually breed after the rainy season ends and will nest in tree cavities or bushes. If they are near human habitations, they will even nest under the eaves of buildings.

Given the right conditions and a lack of a more suitable mate of the same species, it is said that Java sparrows can potentially interbreed with; Zebra Finches (Taeniopygia guttata), Bengalese finches (Lonchura striata), African Silverbills (L. cantans), Scaly-breasted Munias (L. punctulata), Diamond Firetails (Stagonopleura guttata), Cut-throat finches (Amadina fasciata) and Red-headed Finches (A. erythrocephala) so care is required not to allow hybridisation to occur.

Adult Java sparrows have historically been fed on a good quality finch seed mixture with various millets, canary seed, hemp, niger, groats, and rape seeds, occasional millet sprays should be offered, but not too often as they can be fattening, and various green foods such as chickweed and lettuce, cucumber, cress, and apple seems to be relished too. Soaked and sprouted seeds are particularly valuable when the adults are feeding chicks. Complete pelleted diets are also now available that encompass the full nutritional profile required by the birds, including optimal levels of Vitamin A. Although pelleted diets are becoming the popular choice for parrot nutrition, more and more keepers are beginning to feed their finches on a “complete” pellet too. In my experience, live foods such as mealworms are often ignored.

Of course, in the wild they tend to feed almost exclusively on paddy rice and I have offered raw paddy rice to mine and they completely refused it. I also tried a little cooked long-grain rice and although they showed some interest, they did not eat it. Java sparrows adore bathing so fresh clean water should always be provided in a shallow bowl.

Java sparrows, like many other birds, can contract intestinal parasites including coccidia and should be regularly wormed. They are also prone to air-sac mites, which is something which has badly affected wild populations too. A pale-coloured beak (sometimes of a flaky texture) and a pale eye-ring can be signs of illness or vitamin deficiency. A healthy beak is glossy and rich in colour.

Personal experience.

I have kept and bred Java sparrows at various times from 1987 to date. They generally settle fairly quickly in both cages and aviaries, and I have kept them on their own and as part of a mixed bird collection and they do equally well in both situations. However, if you want to build up a good-sized colony they are far better to be kept as the only species in an aviary.

The first grey pair I had started breeding after five months and they proved to be very reliable breeders and reared several broods of chicks. It is important to move on some offspring as well as introduce new stock from time to time to avoid in-breeding and keep genetic diversity.

I have also kept the white and fawn colour mutations, separately from the natural greys, and I found to some degree colour mutations can be even more prolific breeders than the greys probably due to the degree of domestication they have endured over time. Though I much prefer the natural grey Java sparrows.

The Timor Sparrow

A close relative of the Java sparrow is the slightly smaller but similarly patterned Timor sparrow (Padda fuscata) or Timor dusky sparrow. This species, found on Timor Island and Roti Island located north of Australia, is categorized as Near Threatened with a declining wild population of between 6,000 -15,000 birds in the wild.

In all aspects of captive management the Timor sparrow is very much like the Java sparrow.

But the Timor sparrow has never been kept in as large numbers as the Java sparrow either in private aviaries or in zoos and is much harder to breed successfully and sustain good numbers in captivity. It is a very inconsistent breeder, with some years where no chicks are produced at all, compared to the more prolific Java sparrow. This may be due in part to the fact the Java sparrow has been somewhat domesticated in captivity over decades compared to the much “wilder” Timor sparrow which has not.

In the past only two U.K. public collections have ever kept this species previously that I know of, they are; Leeds Castle Aviaries in 1998 (the bird collection has since closed), and from 2006 to 2021 Chester Zoo kept a small breeding colony in the “Realm of the Red Ape” exhibit. During 2007/2008 Chester`s group bred twice taking numbers up to 21 birds, but since then, numbers have slowly dwindled from 16 to 12 birds in 2012, then down to 9 birds in 2018, and there were none left by 2020.

Currently, there is only one public collection in Europe, and none in the U.K., keeping the Timor sparrow. This is the Aqua Terra Zoo in Austria which has kept them since 2020.

A group of private keepers based in Wales got together and founded the “Java Sparrow Society” in 2003 to promote and encourage the keeping of Java sparrows and Timor sparrows. They did originally have some success in importing a small number of birds (15) to the U.K., but I don’t believe this group is still functioning anymore. So the outlook for the Timor sparrow in captivity seems quite bleak without a concerted effort to build up a sustainable captive population in the U.K. and beyond.